Former UT pitcher says moment worth the pain

Updated 11:53 am, Thursday, June 9, 2011

Photo: Matt Hempel, Longhorns

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Texas pitcher Austin Wood throws one of his 169 pitches after coming on in relief to pitch 13 innings Saturday, May 30, 2009, during the Longhorns' 25-inning 3-2 victory over Boston College at the NCAA Austin Regional at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin. It was the longest game in NCAA history. (AP Photo/University of Texas,Matt Hempel)

Texas pitcher Austin Wood throws one of his 169 pitches after coming on in relief to pitch 13 innings Saturday, May 30, 2009, during the Longhorns' 25-inning 3-2 victory over Boston College at the NCAA Austin

Texas closing pitcher Austin Wood pitches against Texas A&M during the final game of the Lonestar Classic series in Austin on May 10, 2009. Texas won 5-4. Benjamin Sklar/San Antonio Express-News

Texas closing pitcher Austin Wood pitches against Texas A&M during the final game of the Lonestar Classic series in Austin on May 10, 2009. Texas won 5-4. Benjamin Sklar/San Antonio Express-News

Photo: Benjamin Sklar, Longhorns

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Texas closing pitcher Austin Wood hoists the Lonestar Classic trophy after pitching against Texas A&M during the final game of the series in Austin on May 10, 2009. Texas won 5-4. Benjamin Sklar/San Antonio Express-News

AUSTIN — The man who went under the knife insists he was headed there one way or another.

His doctors told him it's possible his need for surgery might have been the result of a long-ago collision that finally took its toll on his collarbone. His old coach, disgusted by the implication he's somehow responsible, says he's sure he had nothing to do with it.

But let's assume for a moment they're wrong.

Let's assume that two years ago, during the longest game in college baseball history, Texas coach Augie Garrido ruined Austin Wood's arm. Let's assume that when Garrido allowed Wood to throw 13 innings and 169 pitches of relief, just a day after he'd pitched two innings in UT's previous game, it began a chain of events that led to Wood missing almost all of last season because of shoulder surgery.

Let's assume that another theory offered by Wood's doctors, that his injury was the result of overuse, is the correct one. And let's assume that because of one epic night on May 30, 2009, Wood will never make the major leagues.

Given all those assumptions, how does Wood feel today?

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"It's still the best thing that's ever happened to me," Wood said. "I'll forever be indebted to (Garrido) for it."

Wood is playing pro baseball today, but as a middle reliever for the Double-A Erie Seawolves in the Detroit Tigers' organization, he's not a top prospect. In 2009, when he battled inconsistency throughout his senior season as a closer at UT, it was debatable that he'd ever become one.

But on the second night of the NCAA tournament, with UT and Boston College tied 2-2 in the seventh inning at Disch-Falk Field, he took the mound for the performance that would immortalize him as one of the most celebrated figures in Longhorns sports history.

The left-hander from Kingwood didn't merely keep UT in the game. He shut down the Eagles over and over again, and kept going back for more. He threw the equivalent of a nine-inning no-hitter. Then he extended it to 12. He finally yielded his first hit after recording 37 outs, and left the game after his 13th scoreless inning of work.

The Longhorns won the game 3-2 in 25 innings and went on to the College World Series championship game. Two years later, the attention Wood gets for his masterpiece hasn't waned.

"People bring it up three times a week," Wood said. "It doesn't get old."

Garrido still speaks of Wood's performance with nothing short of reverence.

"He obviously was pitching the game of his life," Garrido said. "It's one of the things I talk about when I talk about baseball being a magical game."

But not everyone looks at the romanticized view. Pro scouts have long lamented what they consider routine abuse of college arms, and when Wood underwent surgery last year, it was heralded as evidence he'd been overworked.

Although Wood said his doctors told him excessive throwing wasn't the only possible cause of his injury, it didn't change the perception that Garrido shouldn't have let Wood keep pitching on his night of glory. One American League scout called it "absolutely irresponsible."

"He was not conditioned to that type of workload," the scout said. "As a young man in his early 20s, he was physically immature. There is little doubt the abuse contributed (to the shoulder problems)."

But in the UT dugout two years ago, the rest of Wood's career was not high on the list of concerns. Garrido said he didn't have an accurate pitch count available. But at one point, after he'd thrown six innings, Wood heard Garrido and pitching coach Skip Johnson mulling the possibility of making a pitching change. Wood famously walked past and told them, "Don't even think of taking me out of this game."

"I wanted to do the job myself," Wood said. "I knew I was capable of it. I knew my body, and I was fine."

Garrido maintains he never second-guessed the decision to let him keep going.

"I think people are capable of doing amazing things, and I feel responsible for giving him that chance," Garrido said.

Wood said he never felt tired in any of his 13 innings, but "as soon as I got pulled, it was like I hit a wall. I was past exhausted at that point."

His fatigue was understandable.

In minor league baseball, few pitchers are allowed to throw more than 100 pitches in any game. Some major leaguers occasionally get their pitch counts to 120, but those who do are starters who work on at least four days of rest. Wood had spent all of 2009 as a reliever and had thrown 30 pitches the night before the Boston College game.

Two other pitchers who carried big workloads in the game have not fared well since. Boston College's Mike Belfiore, who threw 129 pitches in relief, was selected by Arizona in the first round of the 2009 draft but has regressed. He has a 6.43 ERA in High-A ball this year. The Longhorns' Austin DiCharry, who warmed up multiple times and threw the last 5 2/3 innings to earn the victory, has missed almost all of the last two seasons at UT because of arm and shoulder issues.

Shortly after the victory, Garrido anticipated a backlash.

"I told (Wood), 'Don't get hurt, because for the next 10 years, it's going to be our fault if you do,'" he said.

Wood's injury didn't exactly change the college game, though. At the Austin Regional last week, Texas State, Kent State and UT each had pro prospects throw more than 100 pitches in a start, then come back on short rest to throw again. In Monday's championship clincher, UT used four pitchers who'd started in the previous three days, including Sam Stafford, who wound up throwing 171 pitches in less than 72 hours.

That didn't keep the New York Yankees from drafting Stafford in the second round on Tuesday.

All volunteered for the duty, and Garrido said he had no problems letting them perform. He also said he lends no credence to the idea that Wood's injury is his fault.

"None," Garrido said. "He was in the moment."

It's a moment Wood still treasures. And it's why he still thanks the man some say he should blame.

"I'm 100 percent behind Coach Garrido," Wood said. "If he wouldn't have let me do what he did, none of this would have happened."